


forever you are my star

by uwuxuxi



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Happy Ending, Inspired by Stardust, Light Angst, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Porn with Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:42:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29096712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uwuxuxi/pseuds/uwuxuxi
Summary: Like most epic stories, it starts with a boy falling in love with the one person who doesn’t want him back. Love unrequited that demands a gift more than what the lover can give. Stars watch such things happen all the time but they aren’t often involved with the drama themselves.Until Doyoung is knocked out of the sky by an ugly little necklace and thrown right into the middle of human affairs that he much prefers to laugh at.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 14
Kudos: 71
Collections: johndofest - round one





	forever you are my star

**Author's Note:**

> this is for johndo fest prompt 23 which was stardust au! i took a lot of liberties with the plot because i didn't want to lean too heavily on stardust the movie/book but i hope you enjoy it all the same! very much grateful to al for beta'ing for me, i would do nothing without her.
> 
> title taken from star 1117 by ateez

Like most epic stories, it starts with a boy falling in love with the one person who doesn’t want him back. Love unrequited that demands a gift more than what the lover can give. Stars watch such things happen all the time but they aren’t often involved with the drama themselves.

Until Doyoung is knocked out of the sky by an ugly little necklace and thrown right into the middle of human affairs that he much prefers to laugh at.

He sits, miserable and in pain, in front of one Seo Youngho, who insists Doyoung call him Johnny!, in a much too cheerful tone. Johnny is a strong, handsome young man, who is in love with someone who Doyoung thinks is a miserable little man solely because he’s pushed Johnny into this stupid little plan.

“Let me get this straight. You are in love with a boy,” Doyoung asks very slowly, black hair falling into his eyes as he nurses his swollen ankle. He is exhausted and in pain and this insufferable human man is going to be the absolute death of him.

“Yes,” Johnny says, much too firm and full of himself for Doyoung’s liking.

Doyoung nods all the same. “So, you are in love with a boy who is in love with _another_ boy,” here Johnny nods and Doyoung has to fight to keep from rolling his eyes, “and is engaged to be married to this same boy? Right?” Johnny nods again, much slower this time. “Okay. Do you believe that bringing the man that you love another _person_ is going to make him want to marry you? Am I getting that all right?”

Much to his chagrin, Johnny does not seem to be put off by this vicious layout of his absurd plan. If anything, Doyoung would say that he looks more determined than ever. “Can you think of a better gift than a star?”

“A very expensive diamond ring. A _pony_ , perhaps?” Doyoung yanks at the silver chain around his wrist and sighs when it doesn’t give. While Johnny might be a stupid boy in love, he’s a stupid boy in love with excellent tools for holding Doyoung captive to bring him back to his not-quite-lover. If the idiotic little human before him didn’t have the very thing that Doyoung needed to get home–he looks longingly at the babylon candle where it peaks out of Johnny’s pocket–he would be putting up much more of a fuss. “And where the _fuck_ did you get this chain?”

But Johnny has sworn to him that after his lover, Ten, sees Doyoung, Doyoung can have the candle and return home. While it is aggravating that Doyoung has to meet _another_ human before he can return home to the stars and tell them all about his adventures, perhaps Ten is worthy of Johnny’s love.

Not that he _cares_ , obviously, but if he has to journey all the way through the countryside to return to Wall before Ten’s birthday he thinks it would be best if he got at least a little invested in the love story he is meant to solve.

“Yes, but ponies are everyday occurrences,” Johnny complains, his eyes falling down to Doyoung’s swollen ankle. His brow furrows and Doyoung wonders just what is going through his mind. “And he already has a lovely horse. My father gave it to me.”

Doyoung accepts this. “And what about a ring?” Doyoung does not address Johnny saying that his father had a magical silver chain that connects to itself and is now wrapped around Doyoung’s slim wrist because that is too much to unpack with his irritated and pain addled mind. 

Johnny quiets, scratching just behind his ear. “I, ah, have no money. But I love him, Doyoung and that has to mean something, doesn’t it?” He sounds so _hopeful_ to be a young boy with nothing to his name but his father’s love and his love for Ten. Johnny has little prospects to the humans that he wants to impress but he still has enough courage to try and that, Doyoung thinks, is perhaps a little admirable in the long run. “Doesn’t it?” he repeats, maybe just a tad too desperate for someone else’s approval. It’s a little sad and Doyoung pities Johnny. 

“Yes,” Doyoung starts, moving his hands from his ankle and trying to put some pressure on it. They won’t be able to make it far tonight, but he’s certain that Johnny’s going to try and move him anyway. “I think it does mean something.” Doyoung, ageless and ever-watching from the skies, does not know much about love but anything that can make a boy have this much single-minded determination is something to be admired. He’s seen wars waged in the name of love and finds it to be all-consuming and troublesome. This, he thinks bitterly as Johnny helps him up, certainly describes Johnny. “When is his birthday?” he finds himself asking, gratefully taking Johnny’s offered arm so that he’s not putting too much weight on his bad ankle.

“A week from tomorrow.”

That is an awfully long trip that they have to make back to the wall that separates their two worlds. Even if Doyoung wants to rest, it’s nighttime and he will not be able to sleep. “Well,” he starts, hobbling alongside Johnny’s mile-long strides, “might as well get started then.”

Doyoung is not sure how long they walk before his legs give out beneath him and he has to dig his teeth into his bottom lip to keep from crying out in pain. Johnny is kneeling by his side in a moment but Doyoung is dizzy with pain as Johnny helps carry him to sit against the trunk of a massive tree. His arms are strong as they wrap around Doyoung’s waist and in a pain-filled haze, he wonders if Ten will appreciate the strength of his arms.

He hopes that he will.

“Doyoung?” It occurs to Doyoung that Johnny has been calling his name for the better part of a minute and he opens his eyes to look into the molten gold of Johnny’s own. “Oh, gods, I thought you passed out… Are you alright?” Doyoung does not know what look he gives Johnny to make the taller man flinch but he imagines it to be impressive in expressing his displeasure. “Alright, I get it... I don’t know how to help, though.” He is _very_ close, his hands fluttering around Doyoung to try and comfort him without causing him any more pain.

Doyoung tilts his head back against the tree, fingers twitching where they lay on Johnny’s arm, and exhales slowly. There are several options for how to help Doyoung, the first of which being handing the babylon candle over to send the tired star home, but all Doyoung wants to do right now is sleep. He tells Johnny as much and sighs when his face drops. “I’m tired, Johnny…” Doyoung knows that he isn’t even _glowing_ , that’s how exhausted he is. “I know we have far to go, but… ”

Johnny is silent for a long moment before he moves to kneel in front of Doyoung and offers the star his back. “Johnny…?”

“Get on my back,” he says with a voice softer than spun silk, “and I’ll carry you until we find a place for us to rest tonight.”

It’s hardly comfortable like this, but Johnny’s shoulders are broad, and Doyoung slowly dozes off as Johnny walks them through the forest. He is a kind man, a strong man, and he is careful not to jostle Doyoung too much. 

Doyoung is half-asleep on Johnny’s back when the human stills and gently nudges his head against his own to wake him up. He’s about to complain when he sees the unicorn that’s stopped before them and nearly cries in relief. Johnny is careful as he sets Doyoung upon the creature’s back, a gentle hand resting on his back for support, and Doyoung once again wonders just what it is about him that Ten doesn’t find appealing enough to marry. A man like Johnny shouldn’t have to resort to buying someone’s love. 

☆彡

“My dear,” the innkeeper’s wife says with a gentle hand on Doyoung’s cheek, “you must be _exhausted_.” She says her name is Sibyl and with a kind smile, she has offered them rooms for tonight.

Separate, she’d insisted. They were not married and it would be terribly improper for them to share a room. Doyoung had agreed readily, probably desperate to get into a bed and sleep off the pain in his ankle, but Johnny had his doubts.

 _W_ _ake up_. A voice echoes in Johnny’s head, shaking him from his light sleep. _T_ _he star,_ it begs, soft and sweet like honey, _she’s going to cut his heart out. You have to save him_.

Johnny has never jumped out of his bed faster. He stumbles down the hall to where he remembers Doyoung being in, holding his breath as the door bangs open. The innkeeper’s wife– the _witch_ – holds an athame in her right hand and Johnny’s heart leaps into his throat before he realizes that no blood drips from it.

There is a fierce banging at the front door and she shouts “I’m _coming_ , at ease!” as she hurries down the stairs. The moment she’s out of sight, Johnny is running down the hall to Doyoung’s room and slipping inside.

His breath leaves him as he takes in the light glow radiating from Doyoung’s sleepy form, absolutely struck by his beauty, before he catches himself and crosses the room to his bedside. Doyoung looks so very at ease and when Johnny’s hand rests on his arm, Doyoung rests his own over it. “You look frantic,” the star notes. He has such soft hands, thumb rubbing sweet circles over Johnny’s wrist. “Did you have a nightmare?” Doyoung is teasing but it only lasts a moment as he sees the real concern in Johnny’s honey eyes. “Johnny?”

“She’s a witch.” The words come out in a rush and Doyoung’s eyes widen before he’s out of the bed in a moment. Johnny rushes to help him before he realizes that Doyoung’s no longer limping and he’s grateful for the witch’s selfishness only because it’s made it easier for them to escape. “Did she-- ?”

“She didn’t hurt me but if we stay here much longer, she’s certainly going to.” Johnny takes Doyoung’s hands and together they rush down the inn’s steps just in time to see the witch bring her athame across one of the remaining seven princes’ throats. He has enough presence of mind to cover Doyoung’s mouth to smother his scream with his hand but it’s not enough to keep the witch’s attention off of them.

Johnny has lost his fair share of fights in his life because he is a fool who doesn’t learn but the witch before him is worse than any of Wall’s bullies and he whispers an apology in Doyoung’s ear as he pulls the babylon candle from his pocket, pulls him close to his chest, and thinks of safety.

When they land on a cloud, Johnny realizes Doyoung did the same, but Doyoung’s safety was _his_ home and now they are somewhere in between.

“What did you _do_?” Doyoung screeches and Johnny can’t be upset with him because thunder is booming around them and he did almost get his heart ripped out. Johnny pulls him to his chest, cradles his head to his shoulder and when Doyoung starts to cry because the stress is getting to him, Johnny sinks down onto the cloud and holds him close. Doyoung does not sob, really, simply cries his fill with shaking shoulders into Johnny and wraps his arms around his waist. 

“I’m sorry,” Johnny whispers as thunder booms above their heads and Doyoung trembles in his hold. “We got stuck in between our homes, I’m sorry…”

Doyoung says nothing but he squeezes Johnny tighter, face pressed into the warm skin of Johnny’s neck. 

When a great pirate ship makes its way to them, Johnny puts Doyoung behind him and squeezes his hand tightly when Doyoung takes it.

He’s almost lost his star once, he won’t let it happen again.

“You look a little lost,” their captain says with a sharp smile and hands on his hips. Doyoung shrinks a little more behind Johnny and the captain’s eyes soften incrementally. Sky pirates are not something that Johnny is wholly familiar with as Wall is a quiet and boring place where nothing extraordinary happens, but he can tell that this man is not a horrible pirate like the ocean ones Johnny knows of from his own world. There is kindness in his eyes and Doyoung’s fear doesn’t sit right with him. “Bring them aboard, they need to get warm.”

“C-captain–” a crewmate protests before he’s silenced by a sharp look. The captain might not be cruel but he clearly rules his ship with an iron hand.

“You have your orders.”

There is a lovely man in the captain’s quarters when Doyoung and Johnny are ushered in with quiet apologies and he is up in a moment to fret over them, soft hands touching their cheeks before he scowls at the captain behind them. “ _Yuta_.”

“They’re not prisoners!” The captain, _Yuta_ , says, holding his hands up as he moves to get towels to help his guests dry off. Johnny takes a moment to take this new stranger in while Yuta is occupied, eyes roaming over the rich clothing that decorates his slim frame and his red-dyed hair. He is most likely the captain’s lover and despite his disappointed scowl, his eyes are incredibly kind. “Taeyong, what do I look like to you?”

“A barbarian,” Taeyong replies smartly before offering his hands to Johnny and Doyoung, sitting them both down. He is especially gentle with Doyoung and his frayed nerves and as he brushes his fingers over Doyoung’s cheek, a light glow returns to his skin and hair. “Oh! You’re a _star_ …” the look Taeyong gives Johnny could kill but Johnny lifts his chin through the anxiety. He means Doyoung _no_ harm and Taeyong needs to understand that.

Yuta pauses and turns to face them, eyes narrowing for a moment before he sighs. “You’re running from witches, I presume?”

Johnny nods and accepts the towel Yuta hands to him to dry his hair. “We barely escaped one when we ended up on the cloud… She was trying to cut Doyoung’s heart out.”

“For eternal life.” Taeyong looks disgusted but goes to make them tea, shaking his head slowly. “With the heart of a star, a witch has eternal youth and life. They’re parasites at their core.” With Taeyong’s back turned, Johnny can see a faint shimmer on his back and realizes that there is more than one magical man on this ship. He never thought he’d meet a faerie when he crossed the wall but he would be a liar if he didn’t admit that he was delighted even with the circumstances. “You’re lucky we found you.”

“For a lot of reasons,” Yuta smirks but his expression softens as he stands before Doyoung. “They cannot lay a finger on you as long as you’re in the sky. Where are you headed?”

“Wall. Johnny has to woo his little lover and then I can go home. Ideally.” Doyoung towels his hair dry and doesn’t meet Johnny’s eye. Taeyong and Yuta share a long look over their heads. 

_They aren’t lovers?_ Taeyong’s chime rings around Yuta’s head and the captain’s shoulder lifts up into a shrug. It’s not truly their business but if they need to go to Wall, Yuta and Taeyong will bring them as close as they can. “There is a marketplace not far from Wall that we have to dock at–from there, you should be able to make your way unimpeded,” Yuta says before crossing the room to throw open double doors to the largest closet that Johnny has ever seen in his life.

There are clothes as far as Johnny can see and if he gapes at the sight, he doesn't think that he can really be blamed for that. He imagines that Taeyong and Yuta have collected such things on their travels and, for a moment, he wishes that he could travel with them. But Ten is waiting for him back in Wall and waiting for his gift of a star and Johnny has to have his love returned. He knows Ten loves him under all of his prissy teases. Kun might be rich and handsome but Johnny loves Ten. That should be enough.

He looks over to Doyoung as he follows Taeyong to the closet and considers the lovely clothes before him. He has never held Ten in his arms. Ten has never let Johnny see him vulnerable. Ten has let his suitors bully and berate Johnny. But Doyoung, even with all of his thorns, has let Johnny comfort him at his weakest.

He wonders what that means in the grand scheme of things.

"We need to do something about your hair," Taeyong says and Johnny is pulled out of his revelry to look up at the man. "You look like a mop." The words, while stinging, are not unkind because they are accompanied by a sweet little smile. Johnny supposes that one couldn't be the lover to a pirate captain without some degree of sharp wits of his own. "May I?"

"Did you do your own hair?" Johnny asks but nods before Taeyong can answer. Yuta's hair is red, too, and Johnny assumes that Taeyong probably did both of them.

"I did! And Yuta's, but I won't dye your hair if you don't want me to." Johnny rather likes his dark hair, but he thinks a change might actually be… nice.

"I trust you," Johnny says and smiles as Taeyong lights up. He's heard that makeovers do wonders when one is unsure of oneself and when Doyoung's giggle rings out from the closet where Yuta is holding up options for him, Johnny is very unsure of what he wants.

Doyoung leaves the closet in a light blue suit and pretty silver chains with crystals dangling from them and all Johnny can think about is how he's never seen Ten look this beautiful. Doyoung's hair isn't even styled and he looks otherworldly. Perhaps that's because he _is_ from another world but Johnny is positive that even if Doyoung were a human man, he'd be the most beautiful thing that he's ever seen. Doyoung adjusts his lapels nervously, giving Johnny a glance at the silver… corset? Oh, his waist is so _small_ , before he looks up at Johnny and gasps softly. "You're _blond_!"

"He hasn't seen it yet!" Taeyong complains but beams as he finishes working his magic on Johnny's hair, fingers trailing down it until the ends meet Johnny's shoulders. He reaches forward for a hand mirror and brings it up to Johnny with a delighted little giggle.

Johnny doesn't even recognize himself at first. He touches his hair and smiles, tilting his head from side to side to admire Taeyong's work. His roots are still showing, a nice touch actually, and all-in-all it compliments Johnny. "I love it."

Taeyong grins and pats Johnny's shoulders. "Good! Doyoung, your turn. Johnny, go get dressed." They switch places and when their hands brush together, it isn't exactly accidental.

Yuta has too much fun using Johnny as a dress-up doll, Johnny thinks as he tries on the fourth doublet of this adventure, but it is nice to relax and let someone else take care of things. Johnny doesn't get to relax like that often and it's comforting to rely on someone else for his safety and comfort. "Have you considered that the aesthetic of the doublet is just not working?"

Yuta considers Johnny and gestures for him to take the doublet off before he steps off to the side and plucks up a royal blue satin corset. It complements the one Doyoung has on outside and Johnny would not typically consider himself a corset man but Yuta seems to know far better than he does in this sphere and takes a breath as the corset is guided around his waist. Despite what he's heard about the garment, it's not terribly uncomfortable as Yuta laces it up behind him and Johnny takes more slow breaths as his waist is properly cinched in. "Oh..." Yuta chuckles softly at that and Johnny turns his head to pout at him.

"You like how it feels," Yuta says and it's not a question so Johnny turns his red face to the mirror and admires the way the corset cuts a pretty figure that Johnny wasn't aware was hiding under his clothes. Yuta's fingers come around to loosen the ties on Johnny's shirt to bare his collar bones and for the first time in his life, Johnny thinks he looks devastatingly handsome.

He's always known that despite the lack of attention from those in the village he was objectively handsome, that was never a problem. But as Yuta guides a silk jacket over his arms and ties the back of it to further emphasize his now slight waist, Johnny finds _himself_ handsome. He turns slightly when Yuta is done with him and Yuta hums in approval.

"Johnny, can I ask you a question?" He asks after a moment and gestures for Johnny to turn so he could adjust his jacket the way he wants. When Johnny nods, Yuta presses on. "This boy you're trying to impress, what do you think bringing him a star is going to do?"

Two days prior, Johnny might have had an answer for Yuta. A star would be a greater gift than any ring Kun could buy him, any expensive silks that he'd been given as courting gifts, and going on a small quest to find the star would be enough to prove his love to Ten. It made sense to Johnny and it seemed to have made sense to Doyoung, too.

"Does this boy love you, Johnny?"

Does he?

"And if he does, has he gone on a great quest to prove his love to you? Has he given you the same care and adoration that you have given him?"

That's a clear, concise 'no'. Johnny sighs and rolls his shoulders back. "I thought that it would make him love me," he admits after a moment and turns his attention downward so he doesn't have to see the pity on Yuta's face. He thinks Yuta is about to say something else to him but then Doyoung is calling him from the outside room and Johnny turns quickly on his heel to go see him.

What Johnny doesn't know is that his entire being lights up every time Doyoung so much as looks at him. You don't need to be a star to glow when you're happy, this Yuta knows very well, and whatever Johnny might feel for his boy back in Wall is clearly dwarfed by whatever is growing in his heart for the star he is traveling with. Yuta does not know what this means for them or what the end of their trip will be, but he wishes them the best. 

☆彡

Two days later, Doyoung stands at the helm of the ship and lifts his head up to the sky.

They are not far from the marketplace where Yuta and Taeyong will drop them off and Doyoung fears what will happen when they reach Wall. He hugs the robe Tayeong had given him tighter around himself and considers the starry sky that he had once been a part of. He wonders if his siblings are up there looking down at him in pity, if they are waiting eagerly for his return, or if they are very glad that he's gone. He has no way of knowing, really, but he hopes that at the very least, Donghyuck misses him. A single star twinkles brightly and Doyoung allows himself a smile.

Donghyuck might be a terribly annoying little star but he is loyal and if Doyoung needs him to shine especially for him, he will do it.

There are two more days until Ten's birthday and, according to Taeyong, the walk from the marketplace to Wall should take them a day and a half if they rest for the night. They should make it and should be able to find themselves a babylon candle to replace the one they lost when they ended up in the clouds and after meeting Ten... Doyoung will be able to go home. The only thing is, he thinks as he fiddles with one of the crystals dangling around his neck, is that he's not sure that he wants to go home. Johnny will probably marry Ten and there will be no reason for him to stay on Earth to pine for a human who will probably never love him.

But the ache in his chest at the thought of leaving Johnny is too painful to ignore and he fights back a dejected sigh. Donghyuck glows brighter in the sky and Doyoung wonders if it is inappropriate to make a wish on his little brother. He won't know if he doesn't try.

 _Hyuckie?_ The star sparkles and Doyoung knows he's heard. _I love him, I know it might be stupid to love a human, but I do. I just wish he loved me, too._

He hears Donghyuck's gentle giggle and tilts his head in confusion. _Silly Doie! I can't grant a wish for something that's already true._

...What?

Doyoung doesn't have much time to linger on Donghyuck's words as Johnny comes out from below deck and comes to stand beside him. He rests a gentle hand on Doyoung's back in greeting and Doyoung leans against him as they look up at the stars together. Donghyuck shines brightly for them, demanding to be introduced and Doyoung rolls his eyes. "You see that star right there? The one shining extra bright?" Johnny nods and smiles up at the sky. "That's my little brother, Donghyuck. He's very happy to meet you."

Johnny beams and rubs a small circle into Doyoung's back. It's so comfortable and Doyoung finds himself musing on Donghyuck's words again. _I can't grant a wish for something that's already true._ Did that mean Johnny loved him? It seems impossible but the way Johnny holds Doyoung close right now makes his head spin with the possibility that it might be. "I'm happy to meet him, too, but I hope that one day, I can meet him properly."

 _Me, too! Me too!_ Donghyuck cheers from the sky and Doyoung finds himself smiling adoringly at his little brother. He truly hopes that they can meet.

"Johnny," he says after a moment. He looks away from Donghyuck in the sky to look at Johnny and finds himself utterly transfixed by his golden gaze. He has the prettiest eyes Doyoung has seen in his time in Stormhold, the color so lovely when it catches the light, and it is easy to get lost in them. "Donghyuck said something before you came up."

"Did he?" Johnny's gaze is so soft and it sends Doyoung's heart up into his throat. "What was it?"

"That he can't grant a wish that's already true."

Johnny's brow furrows and he turns to face Doyoung properly, hands resting lightly on Doyoung's hips as he considers him and narrows his eyes. He's not angry, simply confused. "And what is it you wished for that he can’t grant you?" he asks. He's a little breathless and there is a light flush on his cheeks and Doyoung realizes that Johnny already knows.

"To have you," Doyoung whispers and when Johnny's lips meet his, Doyoung can hear Donghyuck's giggle bouncing through the sky. Donghyuck is not a liar, it seems, and Johnny's kiss washes over Doyoung like a cool cup of water. His lips are pillow soft and as Doyoung wraps his arms around his shoulders to pull him in closer, Johnny's hands tighten around his waist. They're big and strong, thumbs rubbing slow circles on his hips over his shirt, and Doyoung positively melts.

Doyoung realizes that as he fell from the sky to be found by Johnny, that Johnny did not wish for Ten's love, but _love_ in its purest form. He wished for his love to be returned and to be cherished and Doyoung was more than willing to do just that.

He's learned several things about love. Firstly, that it does not come with conditions. Secondly, it transcends all bad sentiment, all fear, all anxiety. And finally, that it is meant to be shared. Love is not selfish and it is not meant to be used as a negotiation tool. Johnny's lips on Doyoung's, Doyoung's back pressed against the railing of the ship as they kiss under the love of Doyoung's fellow stars and to no witnesses prove all of this to him. Johnny loves _hard_ and his kisses _bruise_ but Doyoung would have him no other way.

Love might not be selfish, but Doyoung certainly is.

When their lips finally part and Johnny is looking at Doyoung like he is worthy of all of the worship in the world, Doyoung wants to kiss him again and to never have to break away from him. "What about Ten," he finds himself asking, hands sliding down from Johnny's shoulders to rest lightly on his upper arms. "What will you do for his birthday?"

"I will go back, but not to marry him. I have to tell him that I have no intention of courting him further and if he wants to marry Kun then he is more than free to do so." Doyoung glows brightly in Johnny's arms and Johnny can't stop himself from leaning down to kiss him again, arms tight around his waist. He's learned that stars only shine when they're happy and Doyoung is as radiant as ever, freshly mint hair glowing brightly in the dark night around them. "Why would I want him when I could have you?" Johnny whispers between kisses and that is all Doyoung needs to hear.

Little do they know that miles beneath the ship they stand on, the witch from the inn is turning her eyes up and smirking to herself. She knows that the ship will land in the morning and she is prepared to take the heart of that star no matter what it takes. The heart of a star in love is far more valuable to her than just the heart of a happy star.

She and her sisters will have life _forever_ and won't ever need another star again. The thought of that is enough to give her happy dreams in the carriage. If she has something to say about it, the star will never see another happy day on earth. 

☆彡

"I wish you the best of luck," Taeyong says as they set down at the market, wrapping Doyoung up in a tight hug and kissing his cheek. Doyoung holds onto him like his life depends on it for a moment before pulling away and smiling at the fairy. He hopes they can meet again soon, Taeyong has proven to be a great friend. "I'm happy he's not chasing some little boy who doesn't love him anymore."

"You and me both," Doyoung laughs softly and gives Taeyong one last squeeze before looking over to Johnny and Yuta. Yuta claps Johnny on the shoulder before the taller man pulls him into a proper hug and Doyoung allows himself a smile. "Wall isn't far from here?"

"Not at all. There's an inn about half a day's walk from here where you can rest and then it is a straight walk to Wall from there in the morning." Yuta wraps an arm around Taeyong's waist and offers them a salute. "Tell Ten we said 'happy birthday', won't you?"

Doyoung raises a brow. "But you don't mean it."

"Oh, I certainly don't but he doesn't know that, now does he?" Yuta grins and they all laugh before Johnny and Doyoung start on their way, fingers linked together.

Doyoung finds traveling during the day far easier than he had at the beginning of their journey and he turns his eyes up to the light blue sky as they make their way down the well-worn path to Wall. It's hardly a long journey and they're making it together, so Doyoung much prefers it to walking the long path along. Johnny's chatter is idle but comforting and it is easy for Doyoung to rest his head on his shoulder and listen to his love speak about nothing and everything all at once.

They aren't gone for long before Yuta hears whispers of someone seeking a fallen star and grips Taeyong's hand tightly to get his attention. "A fallen star?" Yuta asks the gossiping merchant, taking his coin for the bottled lightning they had peddled to him. "On this side of the border?"

"So a witch says! She's offering a reward for anyone who can provide her with information on the star's location." Taeyong wrinkles his nose at how excited the merchant is at the idea of selling out the life of an innocent star for what he probably thinks is a reasonable reward. It will probably be death purely because witches are self-serving creatures and the idea of anyone having claim to their prize or even being near it will be horrifying to them.

Doyoung is on land now and therefore is going to be easy prey for the witch who has been hunting him to get her hands on. But he is now out of their reach and safety.

"Have you told this witch anything?" Taeyong asks, eyes soft and wide as he leans into Yuta with faux innocence.

"No, but she hasn't come by yet and I heard–"

Taeyong slits his throat before he can continue. "We should go," he says and wipes his blade on the outside of his pants before turning to head back to the ship. Yuta looks after him adoringly and ducks down to steal the man's pouch of coins and the bottled lightning back before following his lover out of the hut. No need to get caught. "At least we slowed her down a bit. It's the very least we could do."

It is, but Yuta wished that they could do more. At least Doyoung and Johnny had a head start.

☆彡

Doyoung sinks into the tub into the inn and tips his head back to feel the moonlight dancing over his skin. The warm water is doing wonders for his nerves about meeting Ten the next morning and he lets his eyes drift shut as the rose-scented water laps against his skin. He's almost dozed off entirely when Johnny's soft laugh reaches him and he opens his eyes to see the human with his arms crossed over the partition separating the washroom from the bedroom. His smile is warm and fond and when Doyoung throws bubbles at him, all he does is laugh that sweet laugh that Doyoung is hopelessly endeared to. "Can't a star get some privacy?" He teases, crossing his legs but leaning back further in the tub. He doesn't miss the way Johnny's eyes travel down his throat to his chest and stay there with almost a laser focus.

"Can I join you?" Johnny quips back and Doyoung considers the size of the tub before shaking his head. "Doyoung~"

"The water will overflow and I rather like my bath right now," he counters and pulls his leg up to his chest. Johnny's eyes travel again and Doyoung tries very hard not to laugh at him. "Will you wait for me?"

"Not patiently." Johnny blows him a kiss before pulling away from the partition and presumably going back to their bed. Doyoung hears the sound of his boots hitting the wood floors and hums softly.

"Leave your corset on," Doyoung calls, lips curling into a smirk, "I want to take it off." Johnny's sharp inhale on the other side of the partition is loud and Doyoung sinks happily into the tub for his bath. He doesn't keep Johnny waiting too long and washes up quickly before rising from the water and stepping from the tub. He pulls his robe off of the wall and ties it loosely around his waist before coming around and taking the pretty picture Johnny splayed on their bed paints.

Johnny's cheeks are flushed and what Doyoung can see of his chest is painted a similar shade of pink as he walks back on the bed with his hands. He's at least half-hard in his trousers and when Doyoung crawls onto the bed and over to him, robe falling open, he can hear Johnny swear under his breath. "You're beautiful," Johnny whispers and Doyoung swallows anything else he can think of with a deep kiss and his weight in Johnny's lap.

His hands are warm Doyoung's bare skin and it is truly impossible not to get lost in the way Johnny's lips move against his own. "You're wearing too many clothes," he whispers against his lips and works nimble fingers on the fastens of his pants to get them out of the way.

"I'd have fewer clothes on if you let me take the corset off," Johnny hisses back before groaning as Doyoung sinks his teeth into his lower lip and pulls lightly. He drags his tongue over it to soothe it after and Johnny's hips jerk up into his eagerly. "Gods, Doyoung, I want..."

"Tell me." Doyoung pulls Johnny's back off of the pillows and reaches behind him to grab a hold of the corset's ties. "Johnny," he prompts gently, lips curled into a warm smile against Johnny's, "tell me what you want."

Doyoung unties the knot slowly and presses soft kisses over Johnny's jaw as his head tips back on his shoulders. He loosens one of the stays and smiles as Johnny's breath rushes out of him with a small whine. He loosens another as a quiet prompt and when Johnny still doesn't answer, he gives him a small nip under his jaw.

"I want you to make love to me," he finally sighs out as Doyoung's fingers expertly work the ribbon out of the corset to pull it off of Johnny and toss it to the side. "Gods, Doyoung, I want you inside of me..." When Doyoung lifts his eyes up to look at Johnny, his pupils are blown so wide that the lovely amber of his eyes is almost nowhere to be found. He looks beautiful and debauched and Doyoung has barely laid a hand on him.

That's a very easy request for Doyoung to fill.

His hands make quick work of the rest of Johnny's clothes, tossing them off of the bed and laughing softly into his lover's lips as Johnny pushes his robe off of his shoulders so it pools in the crook of his elbows. Johnny is eager– which isn't to say that Doyoung isn't– but there is something horribly flattering about watching your lover slowly lose his mind beneath you with the desperation to touch and be touched in return.

Johnny's hands slide up Doyoung's waist with nothing short of reverence and Doyoung tilts his head back with a long sigh as Johnny leaves a long trail of kisses down his throat. They don't have all of the time in the world but the night is dark around them and Doyoung's glow washes the room in the warm white light of his love as Johnny's hands and lips worship him. He knows Johnny wants him– craves him, even– but he's patient and eager to let Doyoung know with his actions that he is loved. There is no confusion and, above all, there is no other.

Doyoung cradles Johnny's face in his hands and pulls him into another kiss to stop the soft chorus of desperate sounds that had started to leave him as their hips met in a slow rhythm. It isn't nearly enough to be satisfying and Doyoung wants more just as much as he knows that Johnny needs more from him. "Do you have oil?" He whispers as Johnny clutches at his hip with one hand and slips the other between them to curl around both of their cocks. The friction is delicious and Doyoung loses his train of thought for a long moment as their hips rock together in a stuttering rhythm. " _Johnny_ , please… "

"Sorry, you're just… very distracting… " Johnny manages to gasp out, licking his lips before leaning back on the pillows and shoving his hand under one of them to grab a small vial. Doyoung presses their chests together to take it from him and hangs his head as the hand Johnny still has curled around both of their cocks squeezes just so. "Yuta gave it to me as we left… "

"What a clever man... Do not bring him up again when I'm about to spread you open on my fingers." Doyoung nips at Johnny's ear before he snatches the bottle from him and pulls away from his delicious heat to settle down in the pretty spread of Johnny's thick thighs. There is a desperate urge to leave his mark on them, sink his teeth deep into the honeyed flesh to hear Johnny cry out but they will have time for that another day. Right now, he has a very important task and a very impatient lover who would very much like for him to get on with it already.

Working Johnny open is a far slower endeavor than either of them would like but Doyoung does not desire to cause him any pain and relishes in the feeling of Johnny's silken walls slowly opening up around his skilled fingers. The litany of moans that Johnny is crying out into the heated air of their room are an unholy and beautiful combination of Doyoung's names and soft pleas for more and Doyoung will not deny him. Johnny's thighs are trembling slightly when Doyoung chooses to take pity on him and curls all three of the fingers inside of him to press steadily against his prostate as he sucks a dark bruise into the juncture where his hip meets his thigh.

Johnny's moan is positively delicious and Doyoung does it, again and again, to draw more of them out of his kiss-bruised lips until Johnny reaches down to grip his wrist. There are tears pooling in his lovely eyes and Doyoung stills his fingers as he sits up in concern. "Did I hurt you?" He whispers, stroking over the inside of Johnny's thigh with his free hand and pressing a soft kiss to the inside of his knee.

"No, I just..." Johnny struggles to catch his breath and tips his head back to look at a part of the ceiling. Doyoung realizes that he's trying to calm _down_ and not recover from pain. "I was so close and I don't want to come without feeling you inside of me."

"You don't think that you could give me two?" Doyoung asks, pressing against Johnny's prostate one last time to tease another moan out of him before pulling his fingers out of his silky warmth to squeeze the meat of his thigh instead. "Johnny~"

"Maybe another time," he rasps and tugs lightly at Doyoung's wrist to get him to move a little closer. "Doyoung, my love, _please_..."

 _My love_... It sounds so lovely coming from Johnny's lips.

Doyoung does not hesitate to kiss him before pouring the oil into his palm and warming it between his hands. He sinks his teeth into Johnny's lower lip to smother his moan as he slicks his cock up, breath coming in short bursts between their lips as Johnny's mile-long legs wrapped around his waist to draw him in even closer. "I love you." It's nearly a whisper against Johnny's lips and Johnny shudders as it dances across his skin and sends a tingle down his spine.

"And I love you," Johnny whispers back before all of his air is punched out of him as the head of Doyoung's cock pushes into him and all he can do is moan his pleasure out to the whole inn. He doesn't doubt that they've been heard at least all down their floor but he doesn't care because every little part of Doyoung feels like _home_ and Johnny cannot imagine how he thought that he could ever want anyone else in this world or any other.

Doyoung litters Johnny's neck with love bites and lingering kisses, laying his claim to the only being he has ever loved and will ever love, as he starts a careful pace to get them both adjusted to each other. Johnny is having none of it. "Darling," Doyoung protests before hanging his head as Johnny whines and locks his ankles behind Doyoung's lower back to pull him in deeper. "I don't want to hurt you..."

"And what if I want you to hurt me?" Johnny counters, blunt nails digging crescents into the skin of Doyoung's shoulders. He doesn't mean that, they both know it, but he wants more than what Doyoung is giving him. "Doyoung, faster, please..."

Doyoung presses a soft kiss to his cheek before giving him just that. He hikes Johnny's hips up a little higher and Johnny reaches for one of the many pillows behind his head to shove it below his lower back. They take a minute to get used to the new position before Doyoung picks up the pace like Johnny had asked him so nicely to do. Johnny's moans are a symphony and while Doyoung smothers his own into the sweat-slick skin of Johnny's bruised throat, Johnny still thinks that they're some of the most beautiful things that he's ever heard.

He rakes his nails down Doyoung's back and opens his eyes to radiance and the glow of a star so deeply in love that little in the world could suffocate his light. Doyoung has always been beautiful, even from the very first moment that Johnny met him, angry and hurt, in the crater he created when he fell, but this version of Doyoung? This version of the star that is completely his and no one else's is something wholly different and Johnny is grateful that he never has to share it with anyone else.

Doyoung is his and his alone and he will protect the heart that beats in his chest with his own life if he has to.

As if he can sense Johnny's thoughts drifting, Doyoung curls his hand around Johnny's cock and slams his cock into his prostate at the same moment and he is no longer the only star that Johnny sees. It shakes his world for a moment, to experience that much pleasure at once, and when tears roll down his cheeks, Doyoung is there to kiss them away. It only takes a few twists of Doyoung's lovely wrist to bring Johnny to the edge and scream Doyoung's name as he falls over it, spilling white all over his tense stomach. "Don't stop," he begs and grips the sheets with white knuckles as Doyoung bears down on him to find his own release.

The 'I love you's they share are breathless and desperate, as if they will never get another chance to say them to another again, and Johnny pulls Doyoung into a deep kiss as the star shudders above him and fills him to the brim with his seed. The sensation is enough to make his eyes roll back and Johnny sighs his pleasure into his lover's lips as Doyoung rocks into him with small, aborted thrusts of his hips.

Doyoung collapses onto Johnny's chest and wrinkles his nose just a little as he smears Johnny's rapidly cooling cum between their stomachs, nose tucking into Johnny's throat with a soft sigh. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, do you know that?"

"Will you say that years from now when I annoy you endlessly?" Johnny asks, smiling as Doyoung snorts.

"My darling. You annoyed me endlessly from the moment I met you but I have learned a great many things from you on this little adventure of ours." Doyoung presses another kiss to Johnny's throat, one the collar of his shirt won't cover when he puts it on, and wraps his arms around his waist. "You taught me that love comes without conditions and that it can be found even in the most unexpected of places within the most unexpected of people."

Johnny hums softly, tracing his fingers up and down Doyoung's spine absently. "I hope that's something Ten knows..."

"He's expecting you to bring him back a star, Johnny. I'm not sure that he does know but I hope that he can learn." Doyoung wants to hate Ten but he knows that he truly needs to thank him for bringing Johnny to that crater that night. He might be an idiot who doesn't know a good thing when he's got it, but that good thing is very much loved and cherished in Doyoung's hands and that is not something for Doyoung to complain about.

"I suppose... Have I told you about my mother?" Doyoung shakes his head and shifts to rest his head on Johnny's chest so he's comfortable enough to listen. "My father crossed the wall, same as I, twenty years ago for a sense of adventure. He ventured into a strange market, probably the very same one that this inn is in, actually, and met the most beautiful woman he had _ever_ seen. She gave him this." Johnny reaches over to the nightstand and plucks up the white snowdrop flower, spinning it lightly between his fingers. "It's meant to keep me safe."

"I think it's done that," Doyoung smiles and gently touches the bulbous white petals on the tiny little flower.

Johnny smiles down at him and uses the flower to tap Doyoung on the nose. "Tomorrow, when we leave, I'm going to give it to you. There's no telling how close the witch may be to us and your heart is more precious to me than anything. No, Doyoung, no arguments. You will take the flower, do you understand?"

Doyoung does, but that doesn't mean he has to _like_ it, does he? "I understand. But you must be careful without it. No recklessness out of you, Seo Youngho."

The smile Johnny gives him is disarming but when Johnny kisses him, Doyoung does not hesitate to kiss back. "No recklessness. I swear it to you."

"I suppose that will have to do, won't it, Johnny?"

“I suppose it will, Doyoung.”

☆彡

Doyoung follows Johnny through the marketplace the next morning, carefully wiping the residual sleep from his eyes. The daylight still isn’t his friend and while there still were stars in the sky, they are not enough to give Doyoung the energy he needed to want to be out and about in the world. The marketplace was already bustling, though, and Johnny barters for something to eat for breakfast. Doyoung lets his eyes wander around before he catches the golden gaze of a woman sitting in front of a bright yellow caravan. She's _beautiful_ and her eyes look...pained. Desperate, even. She offers Doyoung a small smile but then her eyes shift over to Johnny and she grips her royal blue dress tightly in her hands.

There is longing in her eyes. Deep and adoring longing and Doyoung cannot fathom why that is. It almost feels like she knows Johnny but he has not crossed the wall before. The woman's eyes fall to the snowdrop tucked in Doyoung's breast pocket and he sees her lips form a gasp.

Johnny has not crossed the wall before but his father had. He'd met a beautiful woman who had sent their son through the wall for a chance at life and warmth. Doyoung carefully tilts his head towards Johnny in a silent question. A mother deserves to know her son and if she would like to meet Johnny now, he's more than happy to turn his lover around and let him know the warmth of his mother's arms. He hasn't known it since he was an infant and Doyoung knows little of human family, but he knows that is a cruel circumstance.

She hesitates, golden eyes– like Johnny's, Doyoung thinks– flicking between them nervously before her tongue wets her lips and she nods once. Her fears might be great but her love for her son outweighs them and is so unconditional that it makes a soft glow rise to Doyoung before she shakes her hands at him in warning.

Right, there is a witch after him. It wouldn't do well to glow in a marketplace where anyone could turn him over to her or try to take his heart for their own.

"Johnny," Doyoung says softly, gently taking Johnny's hand and tugging lightly for his attention. He gets it with a short smile and Doyoung quickly pulls him across the way to the stand the woman stands behind. The tension bleeds out of her when Johnny is close enough for her to see his face and she reaches her hands out before curling her fingers back towards her palms when she realized that Johnny wouldn't recognize her. He'd been a babe when she sent him off, there would be no chance that he recognized her face. "I think I have someone you'd very much like to meet."

Johnny tilts his head before his eyes meet his mother's and he holds his hands out for hers, taking them tightly in his own before pressing soft kisses to the soft skin on the top of her hands. There are tears in both of their eyes at the reunion far overdue but a familiar flash of silver catches Doyoung's eye. It leads from Johnny's mother's slim ankle back to the yellow caravan and Doyoung narrows his eyes. "Johnny," his mother whispers reverently, her hands coming up to cradle his face and wipe away his tears before they can fall. "Oh, my son, you're so beautiful... And fairy-favored," she laughs a little, letting a lock of Johnny's blond hair curl around her finger before she sets her hands on his broad shoulders.

"Fairy-favored and in the company of a star," she amends as she looks at Doyoung, holding her hand out to him and smiling brightly as he takes it. "Thank you, for letting me take his time from you. My name is Tiffany and you are...?"

"Doyoung," he says and squeezes her hand lightly. He looks down at the chain around her ankle and wonders. "Miss Tiffany, are you bound here? To this caravan?"

"To the witch inside of it," Tiffany shakes her ankle once and reaches up to soothe Johnny when a scowl rises on his face. She can imagine that he has had enough of witches since Doyoung has fallen into his company and this is just another insult on top of many. "Only her death will free me of my bond."

Doyoung considers that and holds her hand tighter before cupping it in both of his and meeting her eyes. "Miss Tiffany, do you wish to be free?"

"More than anything."

Doyoung smiles at her and takes Johnny's hand in his other one. He needed his love to make this crazy little idea of his work. "Make a wish, both of you. The same one, ideally."

"I wish to be unbound," Tiffany says at the same time Johnny says, "I wish for my mother's freedom." The words are different but the intent is the same and the chain disappears from around Tiffany's ankle to wrap around all four wheels of the caravan. Even if the witch inside wanted to follow them as they left, the firm way Doyoung has wrapped her chain around the wheels will keep her from doing so.

Johnny laughs softly and helps his mother climb over the stand she's guarding before he checks his watch. Ten doesn't wake up terribly early but they have a lot of land to cross with not very much time to cross it. "I have something I need to do," he tells his mother, one arm around her waist and the other around Doyoung's. "I have to show someone Doyoung."

Tiffany's brow knits even as she walks with them out of the market, paying no heed to the way the caravan behind them rattles angrily as the witch within realizes that not only was her slave woman gone, but she was just as bound inside her caravan as Tiffany had been. It's a pleasing sort of justice, in Doyoung's mind. "Someone on the other side of the wall?" When Johnny nods, Tiffany closes her eyes in exasperation. She's not surprised that no one knew that any resident of Stormhold, on their side of the wall, would not be able to cross it as freely as the residents of Wall are able to. Stormhold is their world and theirs alone. "Doyoung and I _cannot_ cross the wall."

Johnny frowns at that, brow knitting in confusion. "But my father could cross both ways and I was able to cross. Why can you not come the same way we have?"

"There is no magic in Wall," Tiffany explains softly, stepping over a drunkard at the entrance of the marketplace. They can see the wall that separates their worlds and considers their options. "The person you need to show Doyoung to, would they be willing to meet us at the wall?" She doesn't ask just why her son is determined to show someone who is not his father the star he now calls his lover but that is not the most pressing question at the moment.

"I… don't see why not." Ten is a stubborn man, set in his ways, but the promise of his star, his glorious birthday gift should be enough to get him up and out of his bed to see it. The fact that he couldn't keep it would be another issue entirely, but Johnny will deal with that problem when it comes. "So you will wait on the other side of the wall for us? Will that be safe? There's a witch who has been horribly close to our trail… "

Tiffany cups her son's cheek and gently rubs a circle on it with her thumb. "I will keep him safe and he will keep me safe. You'll just need to move as quickly as you can to get back to us." Johnny smiles at her, kisses the inside of her palm, and nods. It was a tentative plan, but one that should work in their benefit if Johnny moves quickly and if Ten is willing to cooperate.

Their walk to the wall that separates their worlds is filled with Johnny catching Tiffany up on how his life had been– average until he'd used the candle to find Doyoung that night– and how his father has held up. "He's never loved another," Johnny tells Tiffany and smiles as a pleased flush rises to her cheeks. "I don't think he could, not after he told me about how much he loved you and how lovely you are."

"You're a charmer just like he was," Tiffany scolds with nothing but fondness in her eyes. "You're so much like him, truly."

Johnny fully believes that he is every bit like Yunho when he was younger because he's hardly different from Yunho _now_.

When they reach the wall, Wall laying average and miserable on the other side of the stone expanse, Johnny presses a soft kiss to his mother's cheek before turning to Doyoung and pulling him into a proper kiss. It's a little too passionate for it to be appropriate to happen in front of Johnny's mother but Doyoung won't turn down any of his lover's kisses no matter the circumstance. "Go," he says when Johnny finally pulls away, resting his hand on his chest. "We'll be right here waiting for you."

Johnny is grateful that Ten's house is not far from the wall but he runs there all the same, stopping to catch his breath before he grabs a small stone in his palm before tossing it at Ten's window. He gets poor Leon's attention first and though he can't hear it, he knows the fat cat is meowing angrily at him. Ten comes to the window after, scooping Leon up before perking up and opening the window to look down at Johnny.

"Do you have my star?" He asks, rubbing his cat's side and swaying slightly with him. He looks like he has been up for a little while, fully dressed but still fluffy haired.

"At the wall, if you're willing to walk with me," Johnny counters and offers Ten one of his winning smiles. Ten rolls his eyes and huffs and Johnny knows him well enough to know that he's stomped his foot childishly. "Ten, stars are heavy! If you'd like to see your gift, you're going to have to come with me to get it."

Ten rolls his eyes again but sets Leon down and holds up a finger for Johnny to wait for him. From his vantage point, he can see Ten pull on a coat before slipping out of his room to meet Johnny downstairs. "...are you wearing a corset?" He asks, small hand reaching out to lightly touch the satin. "It suits you."

"Thanks," Johnny takes his hand before it can wander and guides him back down the path he'd taken from the wall. "You know, I went on an adventure for you, Ten." His tone is not unkind but it does clearly give Ten pause, fingers twitching in Johnny's hold. "And I _properly_ fell in love. I thought I loved you but I think, in hindsight, that I was very wrong and you have never loved me the way I would have wanted you to. Not like you love Kun."

Ten's lips part in confusion, head tilting just so. They pass by Kun's house and Ten holds his breath before squeezing Johnny's hand. "You're right," he says and links their fingers. "And you don't have to give me the star, Johnny. I truly don't deserve it."

He doesn't but before Johnny thought that he was in love with Ten, Ten had been his best friend. As his best friend above all, Johnny wanted him to meet Doyoung. "Maybe not, but stars are far more than you think they are and I think you'll like this one very much."

The wall is waiting for them and just behind it are Doyoung and Tiffany, Doyoung's glow absolutely radiant and making Johnny's heart swell with love. "That, Ten, is my star." Doyoung looks over at them and his eyes, cool and dark, fall on Ten. He's passing judgment, which Johnny expected him to, but his expression softens and he beckons Ten over with a kind smile. "His name is Doyoung."

"And he loves you back, as you deserve," Ten says and smiles back at Doyoung, crossing the wall with Johnny to stand before Doyoung and Tiffany. "And this is...?"

"Tiffany," she says softly, curtseying to Ten, "Johnny's mother."

"...your mother is from the other side of the wall?" Ten asks and Johnny simply smiles and shrugs at him. "No wonder you're such an odd little duck, Johnny boy. I'm Ten," he says and bows to both Doyoung and Tiffany. "It's an honor to meet you both. But, it is my birthday and this sounds like a very long story. May I hear it?"

"I can't give you a star," Johnny says, "but I can certainly tell you how I fell in love with one." Doyoung beams at him, reaching forward to touch his cheek. It's a long tale and they settle together on the grass to share it.

It's not long before the sound of a raging carriage coming down the hill towards them, wispy black horses tearing through the grass, rips them out of their revelry before it skids to a stop a few feet away from them. Ten moves carefully in front of Doyoung, hand resting on the star's knee with the hope of keeping him out of the witch's sight for a little while longer. Doyoung is the love of Johnny's life and if Ten could keep something from happening to him at the hands of the witch who has been hunting him down for the past week, then he was going to do it. Doyoung rests his hand on Ten's in gratitude but knows that he's put all four of them in extreme danger by being here with them.

But he knows that if he offers himself, they would all do their very best to stop him. He would not be a self-sacrificing fool today or any other day. He just hopes that they will survive this to _see_ another day– to love Johnny for another day. All he hears as the witch pushes the four of them into the carriage is white noise and the pounding of their hearts. There is truly only one way for this to end– all of them dead, with Doyoung's heart granting this witch life. Johnny holds him close, cradling his head against his shoulder and whispering soothingly to him as Ten and Tiffany sit curled on the other side of the carriage.

At least, Doyoung finds himself thinking as he tucks his face into Johnny's neck, he got to know love before his life was ripped from him. At least, he thinks and slides the snowdrop into Johnny's pocket, he could do his best to keep Johnny safe.

If asked, and Ten was asked repeatedly, everything that happened after they left the carriage and entered the castle the witch called home was a blur. He remembers very little of it outside of Doyoung's screams, Johnny's shouts, and Tiffany's arms tight around him to keep him from running towards them. She said there was nothing he could do and he knew she was right but that didn't stop him from wanting to do what he could to aid them.

What Ten does remember, he tells Kun in the privacy of his fiance's garden, is that the last prince of Stormhold stormed into the witch's stronghold and demanded the heart of the fallen star. He remembers his death, a horrific magical drowning, and he remembers Johnny taking his sword and moving against the witch who was trying to take everything from him.

"And after that," Kun prompted gently, taking Ten's shaking hands in his own. "What happened after that?"

"Ten!" Doyoung yells, straining against the bonds keeping him tied to the quartz table, "I need you to make a wish!"

There were options. So many options but Johnny needed help and for that, Doyoung needed to be freed from his bonds. Ten holds tightly to Tiffany and shouts over the din of Johnny fighting the witch back from Doyoung, "I wish you were free!"

Doyoung's glow is blinding as he snaps free of his bonds and runs to Johnny's side as the witch's athame shatters as it meets the spell of the snowdrop in Johnny's pocket, his fingers curling tightly around his love's shoulders. His eyes burn when they meet Ten's and he pulls Tiffany out of the way quickly, squeezing his eyes shut and covering her own.

The glow of a star in love is something to behold in the best of circumstances but in the worst of them, it is something to be truly feared. "Hold onto me," Doyoung whispers to Johnny and gathers him up into his arms, cradling his head to his shoulder so he wouldn't be blinded. He kisses his temple before taking a breath and letting his enraged glow radiate out from him and envelope the room. What did a star do better than shine?

The witch burns with a broken scream and that, Ten tells Kun, was that. They were surrounded by destruction but they were alive and a clear crystal lay on the floor by the fallen prince of Stormhold. It looked like one of the ones that decorated Doyoung but when Johnny had knelt to pick it up it had bled ruby red into his palm.

"And so in one fell swoop, we learned that Johnny's mother is a princess and _Johnny_ is now the King of Stormhold. Or will be." Ten's head is aching and Kun gathers him against his chest, rubbing his side gently. "We are invited to the coronation-slash-wedding."

"I get to meet royalty _and_ a star?" Kun says and the playfulness in his tone makes Ten smile, even if it's weak. "What a wonderful day that will be."

And what a wonderful day it was.

☆彡

Like most epic stories, it ends with true love. There is pain in the middle, for one cannot have joy without pain, but this story ends with a boy finding his true love and a star learning that there is more to life than shining bright in the sky.

Johnny Suh, a boy who had grown up in a perfectly average town living a perfectly average life, had set out on an adventure to win the heart of the one that he loved. He'd met sky pirates, his mother, and a star on this grand journey and learned, most importantly, that love comes for you when you least expect it. Johnny Suh, the last living son of the Stormhold royal line, was crowned King of Stormhold with the love of his life, his precious star, by his side.

Royalty suits Doyoung, Johnny thinks as he turns his head to look at his husband– his _husband_ , he still can't quite believe it– as he speaks to Ten. His crown is a beautiful silver starburst that sits pretty atop his head and Johnny loves him more and more every time he looks at him. He catches Johnny's eye and smiles, reaching his hand across the space between their thrones and taking it, linking their fingers. "I love you," his eyes say.

"I love you more," Johnny's say in return.

Hours later, their reception and coronation in full swing, Yuta and Taeyong find them and sweep them up into loving hugs. It's only been a few months since they'd last met but so much has changed in that time and it is good to see their friendly faces again.

"We got you a wedding present," Taeyong says with a coy little smile. There's a small boy hanging onto his skirt and Doyoung kneels to coo at him, holding both of his hands out and gasping as he throws himself into his arms. His name, Yuta says, is Shotaro and they've adopted him. Johnny thinks the idea of a pint-sized sky pirate is possibly one of the best he's ever heard in his life as he takes the ornate box Taeyong offers him and opens it carefully.

Inside rests a babylon candle and Johnny kneels to show it to Doyoung, who has Shotaro in his lap and wrapped up in his cloak. Doyoung reaches his free hand out to brush his fingers over the candle and smiles up at Yuta and Taeyong, eyes sparkling with tears of gratitude. Their kindness had given them forever.

The reign of King Johnny and his Star Doyoung lasted seventy, glorious years in which Stormhold flourished and on the very last day of his life, Johnny and Doyoung lit the babylon candle and thought of the stars Doyoung had called home before he'd fallen and met Johnny.

When Johnny wakes among the stars, he is twenty-one again and his head rests in Doyoung's lap. Doyoung's hair, beautiful and dark, glitters in the starlight and Johnny realizes that as beautiful as his husband had been on earth, he is significantly more beautiful in the sky where he belongs.

"Doyoung?" A voice calls and Johnny tilts his head to see a boy hurrying across the clouds to fall to his knees beside them. This, Johnny thinks, must be Donghyuck. He's not quite as little as Johnny expected from how Doyoung talked about him but he looks young and Johnny can't help but smile as he throws his arms around his brother's shoulders. "Doyoung! You're back!"

"I am," Doyoung laughs softly, leaning against his brother and gently stroking his fingers over Johnny's cheek. "And this is Johnny."

Donghyuck perks up and smiles brightly at Johnny, diving down to hug him, too. He's terribly affectionate, but Johnny doesn't mind. He's always been a hugger. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Donghyuck," Johnny says as he rubs the young star's back, smiling warmly.

Three stars glitter in close formation above Stormhold and Wall and Jaemin, the new King of Stormhold, tips his head up to watch his fathers glitter in the night sky. They're not gone forever, after all, and when his time comes, there's enough of the babylon candle left for him and his husband.


End file.
